Logan Morrison played at the same community college as Albert Pujols. That’s two more MLB players than Middlesex County College or MC-squared as we called it. Let’s look at what Stephen wrote about Morrison, “Blessed with a balanced, flat swing with plus-power, and the organization’s best plate-discipline… The only thing more exciting than Morrison is pasting copies of Grey’s photo to a dartboard and piercing his eyeballs.” Hmm… Hadn’t read that last part before. A rookie with good plate discipline and power is really all you need to know when considering a guy for keepers. Own and own now. So is it time to get on board the LogaMotive in redraft leagues? As a disgruntled horse would say, “What the hey?” When met with choosing between upside and a random schmohawk outfielder behind door number three, you go with upside. Just don’t crazy and drop anyone too valuable. I imagine Morrison will lose some playing time to Bonifacio and might struggle in the beginning. Conservatively, I’ve give him 8 homers and a decent average. The upside is obviously there and if he hits out of the gate, his name value will provide more than his actual worth on the trade market. A lot depends on if the Marlins take it fast or slow with LogaMo. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Jason Bay – Out with a mild concussion. This would explain a lot if it happened in March and was just discovered.

Jonathon Niese – 6 IP, 1 ER, 9 baserunners, 1 K. Wasn’t the prettiest start, but I’ve seen worse. *cough* Wainwright *cough* Still, Niese has only one bad start in his last 10. Really no reason you shouldn’t own him.

Huston Street – Was hit by a line drive then fainted two or three times from the pain. Obviously I don’t wish ill on anyone, except for maybe Jason Bay. But how do you faint two or three times? You put the back of your hand to your forehead and you faint. Then you’re revived. That’s it. Let’s act it out. “The pain is terrible. I can’t take it, Jeeves. I just can’t.” You faint. Jeeves pats your forehead with a cold rag while your suitor waves his top hat to give you air. You waken. “Are you all right? You fainted.” “Yes, Jeeves. Thank you. Perhaps you could fetch me a glass of bubbly water.” See! One faint! Well, I grabbed Corpas wherever I had room. If anyone can take a day-to-day and turn it into a 60-day DL stint, it’s Street.

Gavin Floyd – 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 6 Ks. Hasn’t given up more than 2 runs in any game since June 2nd. Yup.

Alexei Ramirez – 3-for-4, 3 RBIs and his 10th homer. He has 5 steals on the year and a .288 average. Take this how you want, but his stats are exactly what they should be.

Kerry Wood – Will close again when activated. The Indians should’ve added, “And we can’t wait for him to return, because we love love love having him as our closer. But we’d be willing to listen to offers if someone really wanted to trade for him.”

Josh Tomlin – 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 baserunners, 2 Ks. Josh Tomlin, who likes to talk about himself in the third person, said, “Josh Tomlin fears no man, woman or whatever A-Rod is.” Tomlin, 25, had a solid record in Triple-A this year — 2.68 ERA, 80:33 K:BB in 107 1/3 innings. Could be a decent AL-Only pickup since hitters won’t be familiar with him. You’re crazy if you grab him in mixed leagues. Cray. Zee.

Stephen Strasburg – Was scratched from his start when he couldn’t get loose. He has inflammation in his right shoulder. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Nats are very cautious and rest him for a week or so. When the crowd saw it was Batista and not Strasburg starting, it was almost a modern day, Disco Demolition Night. Like showing up at the theater and hearing, “Due to an illness to Kevin Spacey, his understudy will be performing tonight — the dad from The Hogan Family.”

Scott Olsen – Will return from the DL this Thursday. He’s worth a grab, if you’re hurting for a 5th fantasy starter, but I wouldn’t start him in his first game back.

Edinson Volquez – 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 10 baserunners, 3 Ks. Yeah, that wasn’t much better than his last start. Tommy John recipients tend to have command issues when they return and Volquez already had problems throwing a rock into the ocean without the assist from gravity. I’d start looking elsewhere.

Scott Rolen – 4-for-4, 3 RBIs in his 2nd game back. Or as I like to call it “two less days until his next injury.” If you’re hurting at your corner infidel spot, I could see grabbing him while he’s ‘healthy.’

Jose Lopez – Tight hamstring forced him from the game. He’s day-to-day, or Day II Day, if you’re into R&B.

B.J. Upton – Twisted ankle and left the game. He’s day-to-day, which isn’t nearly as exciting as one day until Desmond Jennings’ day.

Justin Upton – Left with hip tightness. The Uptons should have never vacationed to Hawaii and stole that tiki idol from Vincent Price.

Shane Victorino – Is it me or did the entire league get hurt yesterday? His oblique injury looked like it could mean a DL stint. He could barely throw the ball back in. Victorino said he’s hoping to avoid the DL. Oh, who cares what Victorino’s saying? Here comes Domonic Brown! Maybe. But pick him up just in case.

Dan Haren – Hey, some good injury news! Haren says he’ll be able to make his next start.

John Lackey – 7 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 8 baserunners, 4 Ks vs. his former club, the Angels, as the Rally Monkey tipped his cap one last time.

J.J. Hardy – 3-for-5, 2 RBIs and a homer. I’ve quietly owned Hardy in one league for a week or two. He’s hit in 8 of his last ten games and is capable of hitting 10 homers in the last two months. It’s not much until you consider it’s at MI.

Danny Valencia – 4-for-4 on Monday, 4-for-5 yesterday… 14 for his last 19. Yeah, I grabbed him in multiple leagues. I think he flames out as quick as he’s heated up, but who knows? Maybe he’ll Chris Shelton it for three weeks. Oh, and if you’re wondering who I dropped. Dexter Fowler, you’re dead to me until you start hitting again. Get well soon!

Jose Bautista – 4-for-4, 5 RBIs and two homers to bring his total to 30. Okay, I was way off with this guy, but I don’t think even Jose Bautista saw this year coming. This is the craziest HR season since Brady Anderson suddenly hit 50 HRs. Bautista hadn’t hit 30 homers in the past two years combined in 350 extra ABs. It’s okay, it’ll make next year’s overrated post that much sweeter to write.

Cliff Lee – 9 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 13 Ks. On the season, he has 114 Ks to 7 walks. There’s gonna be some upset people on the internet when he loses the Cy Young because he doesn’t have enough wins.

Michael Wuertz – 1 IP, 2 ER and the first two run outing in over a month. I haven’t had a year like this in a while. I literally pick up a middle reliever to vulture saves and he invariably gives up runs. It’s the Wuertz!

Tommy Hanson – 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks. Best looking start for Hanson in over a month. Could be headed for a solid finish on a pretty lukewarm season.

Chris Coghlan – He tore his meniscus while throwing a pie in Wes Helms face. This is the worst pie-related injury since Stan Gable’s heart was broken when he saw his Betty topless at the bottom of a Nerd-sold creme pie. But pie-related injuries go back centuries. The first known pie-related injury was when Euclid hurt his pelvis during a visual explanation of circumference. Chris Coghlan’s offseason workout program will be him serving tables at Marie Callender’s.

@Fletch: i feel like upton or vlad is a pretty good hitter to give up for the potentially negligible difference between gallardo and the other 4 guys. outside of WHIP and proven late season innings eaters, those guys really don’t bring much more to the table than gallardo. just my opinion.

i’d at least want some lower end piece coming back my way too. like one of the better sagnofs if you need steals or saves or something.

@KCC26: i’d probably still do it. i mean, you aren’t gonna get a better 1st rounder than pooholes. and i wouldn’t keep kel-jo with a 17th rounder anyway. has he done anything since mid-may? latos would be nice with a 14th round keeper slot, but it’s not gonna devastate you, and he’s gonna be iffy the rest of the way dpending on how he tires out and whether the pads try to push him for a playoff run.

Would like to pick up a 1B in Morneau’s absence. I’ve had a string of people on the DL so I already had 2 players more than the max 22. I dropped Harang to make some room. Considering dropping either Alfredo Simon or Alcides Escobar to grab Luke Scott or Gaby Sanchez. Who would you drop, Simon or Escobar?

By the way, did you know that Euclid’s Whip was 3.14159265? It’s true; check out Elias Sports Bureau. (By the way, what kind of clothes does one keep in the Elias Sports Bureau? I’d guess lots of sox. Thank you! I’m here all week. Don’t forget to tip your waiters and waitresses…)

Grey, if you got time, what are you thinking of for Haren rest of the year? I just claimed him off waivers in my AL only keeper for Freddy Garcia and would like your thoughts.

(The rest of this is just gloating, but I need to do it somewhere…) I also am ecstatic about this, as thanks to the wacky rules of our keeper league, I get Haren next year for $5, and the year after that for $8. Nothing better!

Grey, I am building for the future in my dynasty league and a lot of people want to trade for Pujols. (Wonder why….Hmmm…) But anyways, what would you consider a “good return” for Pujols? I don’t really want to trade him, but if I can get more than he is worth I’ve got to trade him right? Like would you take Stanton and Fielder for Pujols?

@GopherDay: I read recently that over the past 3 years Pujols has shown regression in OPS, wOBA and contact rate. He’s also swinging at more pitches outside the zone. Thing is, the guy will likely still put MVP numbers for 3-4 more years.

That being said, I wouldn’t do the Morales/Stanton deal because I would figure you might be hurting your chances for the next couple of years and both those players come with a fair amount of uncertainty. Just my two cents.

Grey or anyone else:
I had both Upton and Victorino get hurt yesterday, so I will most likely need to pick up someone to fill in, at least for a day or two. Who of the following seems the most promising, specifically for the next few days:
Dominic Brown/Desmond Jennings/Pacman/Pence/Pagan/Beltran/Morgan/Bruce/Pods/Torres?

I live near Middlesex County College. Nice shout-out. Sometimes I just want to get a Middlesex County College shirt (do those exist?) and walk into a McDonalds saying Eff Mercer County! Rivalries are healthy, even for unimportant people.

@Grey: Do you think David Price is going to hit the proverbial wall the rest of the way? Is he not going to give a sub-4.00 ERA, 70/30 K to BB ratio, and 5 wins for the Rays? Grey… do you hate David Price???

@Grey:
Thanks for the input Grey. I just really wanna solidify my offense because it’s the only chance I have at winning against streamers in the playoffs. But alas, I’ll stand pat with Jones and Gallardo. Anyways, who do you see having the better 2nd half, Wells or Wandy?

You watch the Cardinals last night and see Pujols wincing and holding his side? Any word on whether something is wrong? I saw LaRussa denies it, but my gut says this could be worse than they are letting on.

@steamer: It depends on the league, but I would. If Dom starts hot, then you’ve got a nice trade chip. Also, it’s unlikely that anyone’s going to grab LaPorta as soon as you drop him, so you could always pick him up again.

@CoreyII: I saw that, too. With the way he’s been playing – which is, to say, more human than usual – one can’t help but wonder. But he’s probably fine. After all, the guy’s been playing with only 1 elbow for years.

Seriously, Yahoo! doesn’t have someone that can keep track of official roster moves and make the appropriate changes within 5 minutes? Is this guy on a constant smoke-break or something? It’s so fricking excruciating waiting for the DL tag so you can actually pick up the call-up. If you drop someone instead, then you risk not getting that player back — what’s the point of even having the DL tag if you have to wait around for them to add whenever they damn well please???

Hi Grey — Is it worth dropping Volquez even in a 20-team roto league? I’ve started him every game back (I’m way behind on innings so I’ve had to roll the dice) and he’s killed me where I’m weakest, the pitching ratio stats.

I don’t think I’ll start him again, but I was thinking it might be worth holding onto him as trade bait if he has a good start next time out. If I cut him I don’t have a specific pickup in mind, but I could use the spot for the hot bat du jour.

If it matters, the rest of my pitching staff is Beckett, Latos, Hamels, JaWeaver, and Deusning.

In my 14-team h2h, I currently have Iannetta as my C due to Doumit slamming his head against something (probably out of frustration for catching one out of a million base stealers). Dude with Carlos Santana also has V Mart, and wants to know what Brown can do for him. This seems obvious to me, but I’m not as well informed about what we should expect from Brown. So should I offer him Brown for Santana?

@Big Nate: Yeah, he was playing way over his head about two months ago. Go back and read the comments in the post where I said to sell him. Someone was talking about how Colby got new contacts and would never slump again.

I give Lester/Bailey/McCutchen, I get Longoria/Kershaw/Venters. Holds count. Am I giving too much? Is it wrong that I just don’t care about saves? I mean I’ve got Brian Wilson and that is just because he is a bad-ass on the mound.

Grey………Keeper league #2 for me has been a poor season , currently 10th out of 14. Thanks to Granderson , Choo, Figgins ???? Beckett and Haren. Things may be looking up but realisticly its too late to be a podium finish.
My question is this , one of the contenders is keen on Granderson , now that he is hot of course and also wants Axford , Up for grabs is Grady Sizemore and Cueto
Its Sizemore that has me keen……a 5 tooler for a ‘platoon player’ and four years left on the keeper , gotta do it don’t I ???

Side note: I’m in 3rd, 3 points from the lead. I own Miggy Cabrera. RBI is a hotly contested category (duh, isn’t it always?). While Leyland is suspended, can someone please put a gun to his head and tell him to bat Miggy 3rd instead of the goddamned dude from the Tigers’ mailroom?

Long time reader, first time poster…wait, that’s a damned lie! I basically stalk you and this site and make you run my team for me. Anyway, legitimate question(s) here:

In my 16 Team H2H Keeper, I’ve made some solid pickups of the youngins this year with Boesch, Smooth, and now Brown and LoMo. I’m wondering if Boesch is worth the drop for any of the following: Snider, Colvin, Glaus, Crash Davis, Harden, Gio, Hanrahanrahanrahan?

What’s your take on Brown remaining with the big boys this year? I haven’t heard anything about Victorino’s injury or the length of time he’s expected to be out. Is Brown ownable in an 8 Team Keeper?

@Grey: thanks dood. I have Capps, Axford and Mike G. Would that count as needing saves? Would you drop Morrison or Boesch first for Hanrahananananan? Also, would you just drop both and snag Colvin, too?

@Steve: I wouldnt say cold, but his splits show that his power isnt that great on the road and he hasnt hit well against Toronto this season at all. That being said, he did crack one in the first game if the series there.

@Grey, Do you think Hanrahan would be a better SAGNOF option than Gonzalez at this point? I love my staff (that sounds a little too autoerotic!) Lester, Beckett, Nolasco, Wandy, Anderson, Floyd, Santana, Niese, Cain but in relief I have just Jenks, Gonzo and Thornton. Maybe a trade would be in order? Too many starters?

I have four teams this year, which is the most I’ve ever had. It’s become impossible to enjoy a single event, like a home run for example, in isolation. When it’s good for one team, it usually means bad news for another.

Who’s a decent SS pickup for a couple days while Zobrist’s back heals…in my league it would be Juan Uribe at the highest percentage owned that is a FA. So Uribe or owned less…ideas? Castro is available, Bartlett…Thanks.

Also, dropped Jay Bruce for Domonic Brown…you like that? Keeper league but 10 team 3 keepers so I probably won’t keep him over Prince, Kemp, or Wright, but Bruce has been playing like ish and has like 1 HR in the last month. Figured I’d go upside. Agree?

@ emceeperiod – ride Castro – he’s hot – i did while tulo was out. Should have kept Bruce over Brown even though you’re not keeping him. Baseball is all about waves and after riding bruce’s recent low, you’re gonna miss out on the high. Meanwhile Brown likely won’t have regular time for the rest of the season.